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Transfer of Power: Are private schools another hurdle?

Trinity Christian quarterback Marquion Lane, left, has 17 scholarship offers, according to the recruiting website, rivals.com. Lane said his favorite colleges are Florida State, West Virginia and Nebraska.

Published: Sunday, November 18, 2012 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 16, 2012 at 6:24 p.m.

Trinity Christian's Marquion Lane is one of the top college football prospects in the area, but in the preseason it looked as if he might not have a team to play for.

Lane left DeLand High after a disagreement with coach Al Manning over summer workout and practice attendance. But Lane and his father, Marlin Lane Sr., did not give off a vibe that they were worried.

That is because Lane had a fallback — Trinity Christian, a private school in Deltona. Public school students have to go through an academy application or apply for a variance to attend a public school outside of their zone. Student athletes, however, can move freely to the private school of their choice, provided they have the money to do so. All that had to fall in place for Lane was a state-funded scholarship — which he received just before the season.

Trinity is the third school that the highly touted Lane — he has 17 scholarship offers, according to rivals.com — has played for in his four-year prep career. Prior to DeLand and Trinity, the quarterback spent two years at Mainland. His brother, University of Tennessee starting tailback Marlin Lane, played for two schools — Lighthouse Christian and Mainland — during his prep career. Marlin Lane Sr. said the moves were simply a case of his sons trying to find the best fit for them, and he praised the current system for allowing the moves.

Marquion Lane led the Eagles to the playoffs, but he didn't play in Friday's first-round loss to Winter Garden Foundation after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the final game of the regular season.

Lane is not the only high profile prep player in the area to go the private school route.

Warner Christian tailback Marcus Dixon, who has more than 5,500 career yards, said in the spring that he was planning to transfer to Mainland only to reverse course a month later and stay at Warner. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound running back said he lives in Mainland's district with his grandmother and was considering playing for the Buccaneers to gain more exposure.

Deltona head coach Ky Cowan said losing players to private schools is an additional hurdle when it comes to trying to build a public school program. Cowan said the makeup of his team is directly impacted by Trinity Christian.

“We do (lose kids to them),” he said. “It's tough. Schools like Trinity have a way of taking guys and finding a way to get them on the field.”

Trinity Christian principal Dennis Robinson said he doesn't allow recruiting and his school doesn't “go looking for athletes.”

“When they come to us, they're looking for a change, such as a Christian environment or a better academic situation,” he said. “With successful athletic programs, they come to us.”

First-year Warner Christian coach Steve Allen — who also coached at Flagler Palm Coast — has been on both sides of the fence.

“We were the benefactor (of kids being able to transfer to private schools) with a couple of kids that have helped us out this year,” he said. “I always say that with a private school, the kids you have are always technically somebody else's. I can tell you that I have never recruited a player.”

<p>Trinity Christian's Marquion Lane is one of the top college football prospects in the area, but in the preseason it looked as if he might not have a team to play for.</p><p>Lane left DeLand High after a disagreement with coach Al Manning over summer workout and practice attendance. But Lane and his father, Marlin Lane Sr., did not give off a vibe that they were worried.</p><p>That is because Lane had a fallback — Trinity Christian, a private school in Deltona. Public school students have to go through an academy application or apply for a variance to attend a public school outside of their zone. Student athletes, however, can move freely to the private school of their choice, provided they have the money to do so. All that had to fall in place for Lane was a state-funded scholarship — which he received just before the season.</p><p>Trinity is the third school that the highly touted Lane — he has 17 scholarship offers, according to rivals.com — has played for in his four-year prep career. Prior to DeLand and Trinity, the quarterback spent two years at Mainland. His brother, University of Tennessee starting tailback Marlin Lane, played for two schools — Lighthouse Christian and Mainland — during his prep career. Marlin Lane Sr. said the moves were simply a case of his sons trying to find the best fit for them, and he praised the current system for allowing the moves.</p><p>Marquion Lane led the Eagles to the playoffs, but he didn't play in Friday's first-round loss to Winter Garden Foundation after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the final game of the regular season.</p><p>Lane is not the only high profile prep player in the area to go the private school route.</p><p>Warner Christian tailback Marcus Dixon, who has more than 5,500 career yards, said in the spring that he was planning to transfer to Mainland only to reverse course a month later and stay at Warner. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound running back said he lives in Mainland's district with his grandmother and was considering playing for the Buccaneers to gain more exposure. </p><p>Deltona head coach Ky Cowan said losing players to private schools is an additional hurdle when it comes to trying to build a public school program. Cowan said the makeup of his team is directly impacted by Trinity Christian.</p><p>“We do (lose kids to them),” he said. “It's tough. Schools like Trinity have a way of taking guys and finding a way to get them on the field.”</p><p>Trinity Christian principal Dennis Robinson said he doesn't allow recruiting and his school doesn't “go looking for athletes.”</p><p>“When they come to us, they're looking for a change, such as a Christian environment or a better academic situation,” he said. “With successful athletic programs, they come to us.”</p><p>First-year Warner Christian coach Steve Allen — who also coached at Flagler Palm Coast — has been on both sides of the fence.</p><p>“We were the benefactor (of kids being able to transfer to private schools) with a couple of kids that have helped us out this year,” he said. “I always say that with a private school, the kids you have are always technically somebody else's. I can tell you that I have never recruited a player.”</p>